U.S. border agency says it is holding 200 children, down from 2,500 in May

At sunrise, immigrants are escorted to a tent that serves a dining hall for the U.S. government’s newest holding center for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, U.S. July 9, 2019. The Department of Health and Human Services, which holds immigrant children unaccompanied by a parent under federal law, says about 225 children are currently held at a former “man camp” for oilfield workers. Picture taken July 9, 2019. Eric Gay/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - U.S. border officers were detaining about 200 unaccompanied children along the southern border on Wednesday, down from more than 2,500 in May, thanks to congressional funding increases, a senior border agency official said.

The reduction follows a pair of government inspections that revealed overcrowding and filthy conditions at border detention facilities, inflaming the debate about President Donald Trump's hard line immigration policies.